Chris Fiene

Oof. That was a bad movie. It's like the directors and actors got together and said "what if we just didn't try". And then they didn't!

This show was wonderful. The characters were able to seem human, without coming off as sappy stupid scripted teens. The development in the stories included relatable explanations, realistic flaws, and the power of finding their internal strength and voice. Although the main story focused on Victor discovering himself as s gay guy, many other characters has an equally important, entertaining, and impactful stories. I found myself looking back on my younger years when I came out. Although so many of us have our unique stories, similar (or at least relatable) themes persist. This show does a great job of exploring and explaining this. I feel this show, the characters, and the many stories intertwined have so much more to offer. I fully expect and hope for many more seasons to come!

There are times when it seems this show can be good. But damn, these kids (and many supporting characters too) are so stupid! Sometimes there's shows where one character has a case of the stupids, but damn...every single character in this drama just keeps getting stung by the stupid bug. It makes watching this series feel like work, more than entertainment. The anxiety this show gives is not a result of suspense, but rather how could so many bad decisions be made by so many people in so many situations. My head hurts.

This movie was incredibly boring. The initial premise seemed promising. I watched the movie hoping the good parts would happen. Nope. Even the exciting parts were dull. The storyline was pointless. At the end of the movie, I felt my time would have been better spent taking a nap. This was one of the biggest letdowns for me in entertainment in 2020...and that's saying something, because I also saw Wonder Woman 1984 (also a bad movie)...but this was worse.

No spoilers are in this review! I loved the books and I definitely enjoyed the series. Many times, theatrical adaptations deviate a lot from the books they stem from. Worse yet, sometimes they miss the spirit and intent of the books too. This was different. Netflix really hit a home run on this series and did the Grishaverse justice! Did the series deviate from the books, yes and no. The Alina/Mal story was pretty damn close to the first book in the trilogy. In fact, as I watched the series, I found myself remarking "that's just how I imagined it". Kaz and crew were not mentioned in the Shadow and Bone trilogy books. However, could they have been in it, just not mentioned... certainly. If you really read and understood the books, it is certainly plausible. Besides, how it was presented in the series was definitely entertaining and introduced some of the best characters from Six of Crows. I've read some critical-ish comments that say the Kaz and crew story wasn't like Six of Crows. True...but the story of the series was about Shadow and Bone...which happens before Six of Crows. So in truth, with a little acceptance and understanding, it's certainly easy to see how this fits. Moreover, when I read SoC, I always wondered how the Kaz and crew were before the duology. This series sheds some creative light on some pseudo-origin story of the gang. SoC was an incredible story and I'm sure future plans for the Netflix series will get to it, but it's not the right time for that in the first season. We also have to understand that the Matthias/Nina story, although not a part of Shadow and Bone per se, did take place before the timeline of Six of Crows (although it was a part of the SoC books...think flashback sorta thing)...so including that story to the Netflix series really works! Overall, I am certainly impressed. It was quality, really held true to the spirit and intent of the books. In some cases, was very close to how things were represented in the books too. For Grishaverse lovers (like me) this was a great rendition of the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy with some added flavor. It kinda makes me want to re-read the books again! For newcomers to the Grishaverse, it is a great series that will entertain and likely leave you wanting more. Definitely well worth the binge. Heck, I hope it will make new Grishaverse fans as well! Besides, Lisa Bardugo (the author) was also executive producer on the series...so you know she's not going to let someone mess up her story! That's my rant. A great series. Well done. It made sense to me as a reader. It made sense to me as a fan. It was a great watch!!!